Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Standing During The Yom Hazikaron Siren

I happened to be near the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem when the Yom Hazikaron siren sounded. I always enjoy seeing how everyone stops what they are doing and stands still. Rechov Azza in Jerusalem is a busy street, and so it was filled with drivers who stopped by the side of the road while the siren sounded. However, two cars did not stop, and received dirty looks. The first was evidently driven by an Arab - so it got dirty looks, but little else. The other car was driven by a Haredi looking woman. This car was not only stared at - a man jumped into the road ahead of it to try and stop it. The driver had to veer to the right so she wouldn't run him over, she screamed something and continued to drive.

This reminded me of a joke I heard/read a few years ago. In Israel one third of the population stands still during the sirens, The Haredi third purposly keeps walking, and the final third is too busy taking out cameras to photograph the Haredim not standing still.

There is also this hilarious movie "Return Home Safely" by Yehudah Grovis, which humorously tries to show the Haredi feeling of being hounded during the siren. The actual movie starts at 1:50, but I suggest you watch it all!